Radial velocities of Kepler-34b & Kepler-35b

Although long anticipated the existence of a 'circumbinary planet' orbiting such a pair of normal stars was not definitively established until the discovery of the planet transiting (that is, passing in front of) Kepler-16. Questions remained, however, about the prevalence of circumbinary planets and their range of orbital and physical properties.

Here we report two additional transiting circumbinary planets: Kepler-34(AB)b and Kepler-35(AB)b, referred to here as Kepler-34b and Kepler-35b, respectively. Each is a low-density gas-giant planet on an orbit closely aligned with that of its parent stars. Kepler-34b orbits two Sun-like stars every 289 days, whereas Kepler-35b orbits a pair of smaller stars (89% and 81% of the Sun's mass) every 131 days.